Dating Criteria

I was at a bar last night...met someone...very attractive, great conversation...things were going really, really good...until...I found out they hated roller coasters.

When I heard this my mind went into "well nothing is going to come of this" mode. How bad is that? Does anyone else have these sort of standards?

Anyone dating/married to someone that's a coaster hater?? That has to be rough, no???

Opposites attract.

If Paula Abdul said it, it must be true.

My wife used to tolerate coasters for my sake, until she had a really bad experience on Steel Phantom. That was pretty much the end of it.

I've been with my husband for 32 years, so my opinion doesn't likely count for much.

But our first overnight trip together was to Cedar Point in 1977. He likes coasters, but doesn't love them and hates standing in lines. So for the past several years, my trips have been without him.

It works for us because he, at least, understands my love for amusement parks and coasters and we are not attached at the hip. He has his interests, I have mine. So long as we are both good with that and we are both able to take part in our separate interests without the other getting upset by it, then it works.

Of course it would be nice if he'd go with me more often, but it's not a requirement of our relationship.

Those of you who listen to the podcast may recall that when I first met Catherine, who I dated for most of 2006, she had never even been on one, and she was terrified. No joke, she was in tears on Mine Ride. Within a couple of weeks, I got her up to bigger rides, and we had some good times at other parks.

As long as the person you're with doesn't outright prevent you from riding, I don't think it's a big deal.

I would have to agree. About the only thing my girlfriend likes are the small spinney rides at carnivals. The ones that kids who are like 6 would enjoy, but it doesn't really cause any problems between us.

If the person said "I don't like coasters, but it's OK is you do" it's one thing. If they say "Nobody I get involved with will ride coasters" that's another.

Sadly, over the years, I've seen many people-- both men and women, but more often men-- get seriously involved with someone only to give up some interest they loved because their significant other thought it was dumb.

So if the person you met is cool with you riding coasters while they don't, that's great. If they'd have a problem with you doing something on your own, or something they don't like personally, that's not so great.

It's so funny this topic was brought up. I've wondered myself about the same issue before.

I've actually broken up with two people because they either:

A.) Refused to go even if I paid, then went and gave me hell about it the whole day, making it quite a miserable day at Cedar Point.

B.) I flew to Texas to visit them and their family, and go to Six Flags Over Texas. The day we were supposed to go, they backed out and "didnt feel well", then they ended up wanting to go to the bar the same night. I was soooooo over it. Infact, I never spoke to them again after I flew home.

It's probably really lame - but rollercoasters really dominate my free time. More than rollercoasters themselves, I love the experiences I can share with people I love on them.

It's 100% necessity for myself to be in a relationship with someone who can enjoy that with me. It can, however, vary from person to person depending on how strongly you feel about your coasters. =o)

I can't even begin to imagine writing someone off because she doesn't like coasters. Something like this is so irrevelant that it probably lands squarely at the bottom of the totem pole of qualifications. I don't even think I've met anyone who can handily recognize the differences between a wood and steel coaster. To just about everyone I know or have known, a roller coaster is a roller coaster (and to some, a flat ride is a roller coaster too). No strong feelings either way, and if so, then it would be sad if there weren't other things that could be mutually enjoyed.

For me, I don't care so much if she doesn't ride coasters but if she had a problem with me riding coasters so much (I go almost on a weekly basis to Great Adventure or Dorney), then it is enough for me to not want to marry that girl.

For some reason it seems like being an enthusiast is stange to a lot of people. Society has no problem with guys who want to watch football every Sunday but if you said you went to an amusement park every Sunday, people would give you strange look. Going to parks and riding coasters is one of the few things in life that makes me happy and I'm not giving it up for anyone.

My signature kind of says it all. I would not break up with someone simply because she doesn't like coasters, as long as I could still go on my own whenever I want to, and we were otherwise compatible. However, if I met a woman who loves coasters as much as I do it would be a gigantic check mark in the "plus column".

Last March, I was talking to a woman who sat next to me on the Sierra Sidewinder at Knott's. She told me she is a rollercoaster enthuiast and that she travels all over the country to ride as many coasters as she can. She also said that SFMM was her favorite park and X was her favorite ride. I was immediately interested and wanted to ask her if she wanted to spend the rest of the day together, since we met at 11am. Then she said that she was on vacation from Washington and that her husband and son were in Camp Snoopy and she was spending the day on her own because her husband doesn't like coasters and her son was too young to ride them. So obviously I didn't ask to spend the day together. Just my luck.

I can't make up my mind about which would be better: a girlfriend who loves amusement parks and wants to travel with me everywhere I go or one who doesn't especially love them and doesn't want to travel with me, but is happy to let me go with my other friends.

I think the ideal situation for me would be one that enjoys going to parks from time to time, but is happy to stay home when I travel with my friends.

A hobby should not dictate being in a relationship.

My girlfriend loves Harleys, but I can care less about them.

I love coasters but my girlfriend can car less about them.

We however have a love for animals.

Regardless, being in a relationship with different likes of certain things actually builds a bond to appreciate other interests.

Chitown said:
Regardless, being in a relationship with different likes of certain things actually builds a bond to appreciate other interests.

How true. I once had a girlfriend who was confined to a wheelchair since birth. It was no big deal. I began to think more about those with "different abilities," and what it takes to help out.

I think there is a difference between someone that 'hates' them and someone who would gladly go on the trips I take, enjoy going to the local parks around me, CP, Kennywood, KI, etc.

I'm not looking for someone that shares the same passion I do, but I really don't think I could date someone that 'hates' them. I mean that's kind of my life from April 18th (Diamonback!) to the fall.

How fun would CP be (a place I go 10-15 times a year) with someone that doesn't go on the rides? 1) I'd feel bad they are standing around doing nothing all day 2) I'd be worried someone at an amusement park isn't having fun, something I've never worried about in the history of me attending amusement parks

Personally I stay married to my wife because she can get me onto coasters with no wait ;) Seriously though...

But I have to say I have been on multiple sides of someone absolutely hating rides for their personal reasons to ones with engineering minds who totally ruin the ride by quoting all the dynamics throughout the ride. Neither ones worked for me personally.

I think (for me) the balance is whether you live coasters or not and if the significant other accommodates it..

Sure if you go on them very frequently then there may be issue, unless of course you always need a bag holder, then its perfect. But if you visit parks seasonally and have the ability to journey with a co-rider and the significant other is ok with 1) still being the bag holder or 2) you enjoying yourself with the co-rider then thats all the more better.

I see the break point as this, and I will use my college football analogy for this. I go to VT football games every year, but my wife doesnt like football and doenst go with me to them. However she knows its important to me and makes the needed adjustments for me to enjoy myself every year.

The person doesnt need to like 100% what you like.. What makes it work is the fact that the significant other is always willing to make the adjustments to allow you to continue doing what you like.. Now that, IMHO, is a keeper!
BTW.. my 2 cents.. I like the change of speed in the topics. This one is coaster related yet not something I see or read every day.. Bravo from me.

The other day my partner said to me "See the news? Cedar Fair's attendance last year was up". And I said "Well, it wasn't your fault..." But I'm nice like that.

It's not so bad he's not totally into it. But if I had someone who gave me a hard time because I went anyway, either by myself or with others? - Deal breaker!

My partner is unable to ride due to a medical condition. Thankfully we have other things to enjoy together. And when I go on a coaster trip he enjoys some alone time, lol.

And here's a third for a partner who doesn't (can't, for the most part) ride.

However, he LOVES parks and can do many of the less intense rides so we still have a lot of fun. It also helps that with school and work and everything else we only get out to ride a handful of times a year. I don't think he'd be quite as happy if we were going every other week.

Maybe this means I'm limited to dating a CoasterBuzzer haha